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CVP Blog - July 2009

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Monday, July 27, 2009

Social media - a small start can make a big impact!

Last post we discussed the difference between social MEDIA and social MARKETING. We think this an important topic to cover so here’s a teaser to what you’ll be seeing more of in future blogs and in Bin Buzz…..

Recommendations for using “social media”
1)      Sign up, log on and get social! It’s probably a good idea for you to begin using social media yourself! If you don’t have a Facebook page, sign up. If you don’t know what Twitter, YouTube or Flickr are you’ve got some research to do – and quick! The best way to start using these tools is to familiarize yourself with them first.
 
2)      Start somewhere. Facebook is no longer reserved for high school and college students and is where we recommend you start. Go to www.facebook.com to start a profile today, You may want to start with a personal page before creating one for your community. This will help you ease into it and learn some “netiquette” along the way.
 
3)      Think before you act. Have a clear plan in place before you do anything. Who do you want to reach? Once you reach those people, what do you want them to do? Visit your program’s Web site? Order a bin? The answers to these questions will dictate your social media strategy and what avenues you end up using (Facebook, Flicker, etc.)
 
4)      Above all, be informative. Most social media users don’t want to be “advertised” to. Stick with information that is timely and beneficial. For instance, if you start a Twitter feed for your program, concentrate on promoting upcoming events, changes in pick-up schedules, etc. and other timely information. The point is not to send people so much irrelevant information that they’ll regret subscribing to your Twitter feed or joining your Facebook cause.
 
5)      Be conversational not preachy. Social media is all about two-way communications so be sure you are actively commenting and reading other people’s posts, instead of just pushing information about your program. Remember to be professional, succinct, but to also have fun.
 
We want to hear from you! Have any tips to add to this list or amazing uses of social media that you've come across? Share them here or e-mail us at info@recyclecurbside.org.
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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Make your voices heard! New CVP survey

Please take a few minutes to respond to our new survey and tell us what issues or topics you want us to cover either in Bin Buzz, on our Web site or elsewhere.

Your answers are important to us and will help CVP provide you with the most useful information possible!
 

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Monday, July 20, 2009

Using Facebook and other social media to educate the public about your recycling program

For the next issue of Bin Buzz, we are considering a section dedicated to “social media” (aka Facebook, Twitter, etc.).

But first, what is the difference between “social media” and “social marketing?” People confuse these two terms a lot. And they really are very different. We’ll boil it down for you: “social media” is a tactic, another medium to use to get your message out. While “social marketing” is an approach to changing behavior. You may use a social media tool like Facebook as part of a social marketing strategy, for example.

For our next Bin Buzz, we are conducting some research on various social media applications, best practices, etc. Here are some interesting articles we came across. Check them out:  

Cause Marketing and Social Media: http://www.cre8tivegroup.com/blog/cause-marketing-and-social-media

The ABC’s of Social Media: http://www.socialdesire.com/2008/06/11/the-abcs-of-social-media/

How to Commit Social Media Suicide: http://socialmediatrader.com/how-to-commit-social-media-suicide/

Stay tuned for more blogs on social media in the next week!

We want to hear from you! Have you started using social media in your educational arsenal? If so, what successes (or challenges) have you had? Do you have advice for your fellow professionals who may be thinking about getting involved in social media?
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